NFL fans are rabid about collecting information. Former NFL General Manager of the Houston Texans doesn’t think that average fans should get access to NFL film. The Wall Street Journal had an article last week about how the NFL keeps coverage of each NFL game hidden from access to average fans. The league owns the NFL Network which is the most widely successful of any of the professional sports leagues. This week, the NFL Network will start their series of late season Thursday night games, and without a doubt, these games will blow out any game shown on the MLB or NHL Network-at least threefold.

What the WallStreet Journal reported last week is what is called as the “All 22” camera view of each game. It’s the video view of the game which allows a vision of the entire 22 players on the field at any given time. The league holds this video aspect close to the vest, and the WSJ reports NFL PR Spokesman as stating, “(the coverage) is regarded at this point as proprietary NFL coaching information”. The league only releases the ‘All 22’ film footage of games to NFL coaching franchises and a few others in the media.

Former head coach Bill Parcells thinks the league’s position on the reluctance of releasing the film footage is foolish. He told the paper that the current close-up, slow-motion coverage of the game denies fans the complete coverage on the game. But one former member of the elite shroud of the NFL secret society thinks that NFL fans should not get access to this film footage. Former NFL executive Charley Casserly, who spent time with both the Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans, voted against the possible release of the film footage while in the NFL competition committee.

Casserly voted against the release of the “All-22” film to the general public. The WSJ said that his opposition to the idea would release film, could cause problems, ‘if fans had access, it would open players and teams up to a level of criticism far beyond the current hum of talk radio’.

Casserly gave a quote to the paper, stating, “I was concerned about misinformation being spread about players and coaches and their ability to do their job. It becomes a distraction that you have to deal with”.

Casserly was concerned about talk radio as a reason for voting against the release of the ‘All-22’ film by the league? Has he heard of Twitter? Facebook? Does he read anything on blogs? No, most likely not because I’ve seen him on television and he is of the opinion that he knows more than anyone. That might have something to do with the fact that he hasn’t actively worked in the NFL since 2006.

Now Casserly is like like everyone else, a person with an opinion and a bodily orifice.